Dead or Alive
by LittleMissyDOAGalPal
Summary: On hiatus for a while... Sorry!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Easy Decision**

**Hey everyone! First of all, i'm not dead. I'm still alive!**

**Now, I know i've been really awful with my updates on my other stories, and for that... I am so sorry. It's just school and homework, and then i'm just not bothered. But don't worry! There will be more updates on my other stories soon.**

**Enough about that... Now, here's my new story hehehe! It's basically how I see the first tournament. I know it sucks and it's not perfect, but I think that it might actually come out okay. IDK, I guess i'm not a good writer LOL... **

**I also don't own DOA. Team Ninja & Tecmo do! Not me!**

**Enough about my rambling... Sorry. Now on with the story! And tell me what you all think! :D**

Without many people having any knowledge on the subject, most wouldn't know about the well hidden villages in Japan. And if anyone did know about them, they wouldn't have a clue on where they were. The villages were small, but big enough to be a population. And the citizens weren't exactly the normal type of people. They were different. 'Different' as in, greater beings. Ninjas. And they would be living together in a certain area, being known as a clan.

One of those many villages included the Mugen Tenshin clan. It was smaller, but more peaceful than others. It also contained the most skilled ninjas. They were stronger, faster, and more strategic than others. Their leader, Shiden, was now close to retiring. He had believed that his son was now responsible enough to be in charge. Now that he thought about it, he had only started to be a leader when he was no older than twenty five. His son was younger, but had recently proved to him that he was capable of being responsible for the care of over 250 people. But other than that, he had decided to hold a meeting with him, so that he could tell his son the sudden news.

When Shiden had informed his son that he had to talk to him, Hayate got mixed emotions from it. He was confused, but happy and worried at the same time. He wasn't even sure what his Father wanted to discuss about. Right now, he was inside the family room with his sister, waiting for his Father. They were both in kneeling position, waiting patiently for the sudden family meeting to start.

Within every second that passed, Hayate felt more nervous. His Sister could easily notice that Hayate felt scared.

"Hayate, it's going to be alright" She reassured him.

"I really hope so, Kasumi"

Kasumi smiled, showing how much she would support him.

"I just don't know what Father wants to talk about..." Hayate added, now looking at the floor.

"It's probably nothing"

"He said it was important..."

"Oh. Well maybe he's arranging some sort of wife for you?" Kasumi asked.

Hayate gave out a short laugh; "I really doubt it. And if I wanted to find love, I would want to do it on my own..."

"I guess you're right. But don't think negatively, Hayate. It will eat inside of you" Kasumi warned.

"You actually believe that?" He asked his sister.

"Well, I-" Kasumi started, just before the door opened.

Hayate slightly jumped, expecting his Father to make his entrance. But as he looked behind him, Hayate noticed that it was actually Ayane, his half-sister.

"Ayane. What are you doing here?" Hayate asked, slowly calming down from his mini heart attack.

"Master Shiden sent me here. He said that I should be part of this meeting" Ayane explained.

"Of course. You are family, after all" Hayate replied.

Ayane showed a shy smile on her face, but it disappeared as soon as she looked over to Kasumi.

"Ayane... I-" Kasumi started.

"Save your breath!" Ayane said, cutting her off; "I'm not here to talk to you. I'm here for Master Hayate"

"I... I know..." Kasumi said as Ayane got into her kneeling position.

"Whatever" Ayane commented.

"But listen to me, Hayate... I bet that the news Father has to tell you, is good" Kasumi said.

"How can you be so sure?" Hayate asked.

"Because Father is good at hiding his true emotions. He's easily making you think that he's going to punish you for something that you haven't done"

"I guess that could be true" Hayate said.

The door opened again. This time, it was Ayame who entered the room. Beside her was Shiden. The married couple walked over to the other side of the room, and knelt beside each other.

After a minutes worth of silence, Shiden started to speak.

"I hope you all know why you're all here"

"Yes" Hayate answered.

"Now, Hayate. Your Father and I would like to inform you about the subject of this meeting, because it has basically everything to deal with you" Ayame explained.

"W... What is it?" Hayate asked, swallowing his sudden fears.

"You three know that I became the leader of the Mugen Tenshin Village when I reached the age of 25, right?" Shiden asked.

Three youthful heads nodded in response. Shiden decided to continue:

"Well, Hayate... Since you're 23, I think that it's time that I passed my responsibilities as a leader onto you"

"..."

"What do you say, Hayate?... Are you ready to lead the clan?" Ayame asked after a moment of silence.

Hayate looked up from the floor, and over to Kasumi. She was smiling, but trying not to be too emotional. He then looked over to face his parents. His Mother was seeking for an answer, while his Father stayed emotionless.

"I'm very grateful for this opportunity" Hayate finally answered.

"We trust you, Hayate" Ayame said.

"I won't let you down" Hayate replied, showing a smile on his face.

His Mother returned the warm smile. Shiden still seemed emotionless. Hayate knew his Father meant well. He just brought the wrong impression at times.

"May I please be excused?" Hayate asked.

"Of course" Ayame said.

As Hayate headed out of his home, he walked over to the same spot he would usually go to take time on his own. It was a place where no one would even think of going. It consisted of a beautiful field that any pair of eyes could lay on, along with a 'forest' environment. But that wasn't the point. Hayate needed time to think about his current role in the clan. He was now going to be a leader. The more he thought about it, the more he felt less confident about himself.

"Hayate!" A familiar voice called out, interrupting his thoughts.

He looked behind him and saw Kasumi running towards him.

"How did you know where I was?" Hayate asked. He was sure that he always came here by himself.

"I used to go here when I needed to think as well" She replied.

"..."

"Congratulations, Hayate. You're going to be a great leader" Kasumi added.

Hayate smiled at his sister. She always supported him, no matter what. There was absolutely nothing that could ever come in between them. There was just too much trust and loyalty in their bonded relationship.

"Thank you, Kasumi"

"How do you feel about being a leader?"

"At first I was a bit confused. Like... Why me? But now I think i'm getting used to the idea" Hayate answered.

"Well i'm proud of you. I bet you'll be even better that Father" Kasumi said.

"Thank you. And i'd be pretty lucky if that would ever happen..." Hayate said, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm sure it can" Kasumi assured her brother.

"But what if something goes wrong..." Hayate said, suddenly swapping emotions.

"Like I said before... I'm here for you, no matter what. And also, everything will turn out good in the end"

"You're a good sister, Kasumi" Hayate said, lightly patting his sister on the head. She smiled in response.

As soon as the brother-sister pair were going to change the subject, Ayame walked over to them.

"My son. I'm so proud of you!" Ayame said, hugging her son.

"Thanks, Mother" Hayate responded, hugging her just as much.

"You're going to be a very good leader"

"Thank you, Mother"

"And then you'll find yourself a wife. Then you'll both make beautiful children, also being heirs to the family" Ayame added.

"I think you're looking a bit too far into the future" Hayate said.

"You know I mean well, son"

"I do, Mother"

"And where on earth has your father gone to? He was supposed to come over with me to congratulate you... Oh well... Kasumi, would you be a dear and help find him?"

"Of course, Mother" Kasumi said as she started to walk away with her Mother.

. . .

Hours had passed since Hayate was given leadership of the clan. Everyone had practically heard the news by now, and they simply cheered about it. After all, Hayate was fairly popular with everyone. Even as a child...

Hayate was walking all over the village, thinking about certain things. For some reason, his father popped into his head the most. Hayate really didn't want to fail him, and he vowed that he would do what he could to never let that happen.

Hayate felt a drop fall onto his hair. He looked up as he saw that the sky was turning grey and cloudy... But Hayate still stood in the same spot while other members of the clan were hurrying to get under some shade. Something didn't seem right... It was sunny just a minute ago, and now it was about to belt down a whole gallon of water.

Just then, sounds could be heard further into the village. Hayate hurried to see what was going on, and how he could solve the situation as a new leader. But as soon as Hayate reached his destination, he could see that it was more bad than he could ever imagine.

It was Raidou. Hayate's uncle, as well as Ayane's biological father. He was the reason why Ayane hated her life so much. He was the reason why there was pain throughout the family. He's the reason for harming his mother, as well as getting her pregnant. He's the reason of bad news all around. And Hayate knew that he wasn't here for any good.

"What do you want?" Hayate asked coldly.

Raidou stopped attacking some people of the clan, and looked over to Hayate.

"You know exactly what I want" Raidou hissed.

"Oh really?"

"Don't play stupid, you filthy kid! I want the torn sky blast... Now tell me which one of your followers has it!" Raidou demanded.

Hayate looked at obviously didn't know that Hayate was the one that held the torn sky blast's power. Something about Hayate's expression gave the answer away.

"It's you, isn't it?..." Raidou said.

"What makes you think that?" Hayate asked.

"You're the son of Shiden. Of course it's gotta be you!" Raidou shouted.

"Well, you're right"

"Give me the torn sky blast" Raidou demanded.

"No. Now leave. You've already caused enough trouble"

"Give it to me!" Raidou said, now randomly attacking some of the other villagers.

"No"

"I'll hurt every single one of these people until you give me that torn sky blast!" Raidou said, now lunging towards Hayate.

"RAIDOU!" Ayane shouted, running towards her target. She wasn't going to let Raidou attack the whole village and cause despair once again.

But compared to Raidou and his new powers, Ayane stood no chance. She was only a weakling to him. He easily dodged Ayane's attacks and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to fall to the ground. Ayane was now crying in pain. Her sudden torture was too much to deal with.

Being one of the many witnesses on what just happened, Hayate ran over to Ayane's side and held her head up.

"Ayane. Are you okay?" He asked, hands trembling with fear.

"M... Master..." Ayane said as she was slowly losing consciousness.

Hayate once again looked over to Raidou, but in a more angry expression. He had gone too far. And to make thing worse, he was laughing about it. How could this be funny?... Attacking your own daughter... It's pathetic.

"You really are a weakling... Making a girl fight for you? Smart choice" Raidou said, now making Hayate a whole lot angrier than before.

To make everything more tense, it was now belting down with rain and thunder could be heard. Many people were also fighting through each other, desperately trying to get to their homes safely. But Hayate, who was now more angrier that 10 bulls combined, charged towards his uncle. He was finally going to bay for everything he had done.

"You've done it now!... I'm going to show you my torn sky blast!" Hayate shouted while trying to punch Raidou.

Raidou replied with an evil laugh and told him to give all he got. After all, he had some power too.

As the two men were getting prepared to battle more harshly, Hayate held his hand close to each other, just like Raidou. Soon enough, a light blue electric ball was slowly forming into Hayate's palms. Same with Raidou, only his powers were red in colour. The more they held their torn sky blast in, the more it would become powerful. After a few moments of concentrating, they finally decided to unleash their hidden power.

"Master Hayate, please don't!..." Ayane warned. She was too far away for Hayate to listen properly.

"TORN SKY BLAST!" They both yelled as they pushed their force to each other.

And now the battle was on. Hayate was easily winning for a while, until Raidou pushed back strongly, causing Hayate to struggle. The more closer Raidou's power got to taking over his, the more Hayate thought about letting his family down. Especially his father...

It was now time to give up. Raidou easily defeated Hayate when he pushed another time towards him. He pushed so hard that it caused Hayate to fly across the area. His back then stopped him from going further, colliding into a tree, causing his own back to snap.

"MASTER HAYATE!" Ayane screamed, sobbing at the same time.

Now that Raidou's job was done, he walked away a happy man, knowing that he had gained more power.

. . .

Meanwhile, as it started to rain harder, Ayame and Kasumi still couldn't find Shiden. They didn't worry much because they both knew that he would be fine. Everything was silent, until a large boom could be heard.

"What was that?" Kasumi asked, slightly worried.

"I'm not sur-"

"MASTER HAYATE!" Ayane's voice could be heard.

"Something's not right" Kasumi panicked.

"We have to go back and see whats wrong!" Ayame said as she and Kasumi were now running towards the village.

. . .

When Kasumi and Ayane headed back to their village, they found numerous bodies all over the wet concrete. None were dead, but they were all losing consciousness. Both women knew that they had been attacked brutally. While looking for anyone they well knew, Ayame and Kasumi both found Ayane.

Running towards Ayane, Kasumi and Ayame started to panic about her.

"What happened?" Ayame asked.

"Master... Hayate..." Ayane whispered, pointing over to him.

Kasumi looked over at the body Ayane was pointing to, and frowned as she saw her brother lying beside a tree. Kasumi ran over to him as Ayane passed out. Ayame ran after Kasumi.

Kasumi didn't care how wet or muddy the floor was, and knelt down on it so that she could see her brother more perfectly. As she gathered her brother in her arms, she started to cry.

"H... Hayate..."

"K-Kasumi-" Her mother started.

"Hayate!" Kasumi interrupted, shouting between sobs.

No response.

"Wake up!" She shouted.

"..."

"HAYATE!" She shouted again, slowly shaking him.

No response. Again.

Kasumi hugged her unconscious brother, sobbing with sorrow. Why her brother? Out of all people... Why not herself?

"You're so stupid..." Kasumi muttered to her brother, crying in between. How could he face a battle on his own...

"It's no use, Kasumi. It's no use..." Ayame said, pulling her daughter to her feet.

As soon as she got her daughter to stand up again, Ayame hugged her daughter, both sharing their sorrows with each other.

. . .

When morning arose, the family doctor took an emergency visit, checking up on the unconscious Hayate. By the looks of the expression on his face, he didn't seem to hold good news for the family.

"By the looks of it, your son is in a deep coma. He's broken his spine, and would be considered dead at this point"

As soon as those words were spoken, Kasumi couldn't help but cry for the loss of her dear brother. Ayame hugged her, trying to calm Kasumi down. But in the end, even Ayame couldn't hold back the tears for her son. Shiden however, stood emotionless.

As the doctor left, Kasumi finally held enough patience with her Father.

"How can you have no feelings at a time like this?" Kasumi snapped to her father.

"Kasumi..." Ayame warned.

"If you didn't disappear out of nowhere, Hayate would be alive and safe! Now, who did this to him?" Kasumi asked, almost shouting.

"..."

"Who did this?" Kasumi asked, shouting in a louder tone.

"That is none of your business" Shiden simply said.

"Of course it's my business. Thats my brother, who is now crippled! Do you even care about your own son?... Now tell me who did this!" Kasumi demanded.

"Kasumi, don't yell. Please..." Ayame asked, trying to keep the peace.

"By word of the town, it was my brother..." Shiden said harshly.

"R-Raidou?..." Ayame asked, now seeming frightened.

Shiden nodded.

"He will pay for this!" Kasumi said.

"When we find him, we'll take care of this situation. But for now, you are going to be the leader of the Mugen Tenshin village" Shiden ordered.

"I'm not replacing Hayate. Are you trying to forget that you even have a son?" Kasumi asked.

"You're taking over Hayate's position" Shiden said as he started to walk away.

"But, Father-"

"I said 'you are going to take over Hayate's position'. But for now, I want you to assist on taking care of him" Shiden said.

"..."

"Don't worry about your father... Believe it or not, he's really worried for Hayate" Ayame explained.

"..."

. . .

When Ayame had left the room, Kasumi decided to follow her father's orders, and take care of Hayate. Since it was muddy yesterday, nobody had seemed to wash Hayate's torso. So, as Kasumi was assisting her brother with a towel, she couldn't help but have all these mixed emotions in her head. All of the thinking made Kasumi start to cry again. She was too weak too deal with the loss of her brother. He meant everything to her, and without him, she would feel like nothing. And alas, she was right...

After she had wiped her tears away, she continued to wipe all the dirt off her brother's body. His skin felt cold and was slowly starting to change colour. The pain was too much to deal with. As she continued to look around the room, her eyes laid on one of Hayate's katanas... The more she looked at it, the more she was feeling to go with her gut instinct. And that instinct was to run away and avenge her brother. Yes, that would mean to slay Raidou down and end everyones troubles.

The more Kasumi stared at the katana, she finally glared at it, realizing she had just made her lifetime decision. Of course, she would now become a runaway shinobi, but that wasn't the point. She had to avenge her brother, because he meant the world to her. And in the end, she knew that he would to the same for her.

. . .

Now outside her village, Kasumi looked at the view of Japan on the top of a cliff, thinking about where to find Raidou... After a few minutes of silence, Kasumi thought to search at the nearest place possible. As Kasumi was finally happy with her decision, she put her new katana in it's sheath which would now be protected by her. Kasumi wasn't going to kill Raidou for herself, but for her family. Especially Hayate.

**Whew! Well, thats a wrap. And don't worry everyone. I shall update on this story ASAP. Well, as long as I get some reviews... I really wanna know if you think that this story can get somewhere, cause I sure can... In time, of course.**

**Now press that review button! Till next time! Xxxx :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Arrival At DOATEC**

**First of all, I know that some readers have commented in different ways, saying that this or that isn't how the actual story goes. And I just want to tell you all that I know that. I mean, I have played DOA Dimensions about 800 times. But my point is that I said that this story is going to be in my perspective. In other words, not completely following the actual plot. So I hope that no one gets confused about this story anymore. And I apologise for not making it clearer to you all.**

**Being back on track... In this chapter, many of you will notice that a small percentage of the fighters are in this story. Why? Well it's because this is the first tournament. As in, DOA. And that as in: eight contestants! So it's basically the first fighters that are in this story. Hopefully you all know who they are!**

**Other than my rambling, I do not own the DOA series. I just own my version of the plot in this story.**

**Without further ado, please enjoy chapter two. :)**

**Hey, that rhymed...**

Kasumi was thinking about what she had just done. She knew that what she was doing was right, and had no regrets. And thats when she thought about her brother. He was still crippled and deep into a coma. The worst part of the news was when the doctor considered him as dead. It broke Kasumi's heart. Still deep in thought, Kasumi hadn't realized that she had already entered a new town. Extremely loud cheering knocked her out of her thoughts.

Looking over at what was making all the sudden noise, Kasumi saw a large crowd. They seemed to be cheering... or celebrating. Kasumi then walked over to a group of people in the crowd, wanting to know what the fuss is all about.

"Um, hi..." She said awkwardly, trying to make a decent conversation.

"Hello there" A man replied.

The man looked no older than 20. He was tall and looked quite strong. Other than that, he seemed good looking, and looked like a guy with a decent personality.

"Whats all the commotion about?" Kasumi asked.

"Haven't you heard?" The man asked in disbelief.

Kasumi shook her head.

"Everyone here is celebrating the confirmation about the Dead or Alive Tournament"

"The Dead or Alive Tournament?" Kasumi asked.

"Yeah. It's a fighting tournament. Only the greatest fighters compete to see whose the best fighter in the world!" The man explained.

"Greatest fighters, eh...?" Kasumi asked, suddenly thinking of Raidou.

"Yeah"

Kasumi was now smiling. She was wondering if Raidou might be entering this tournament. If he did, then she would have to compete too. That way, she can avenge Hayate.

"What? Are you thinking of competing?" The man asked, now noticing Kasumi's smile.

"Maybe"

"..."

"..."

The man then started to laugh. Something about this seemed funny to him.

"What?" Kasumi asked.

"No offense... But you don't even look like a fighter"

"I am too!" Kasumi argued.

"Yeah. And I can transform into a unicorn" The man said sarcastically.

"I swear, i'm telling the truth"

"Yeah yeah..."

"I'll show you some day... You just watch me compete!" Kasumi said, now starting to get a little frustrated.

"Okay, i'll watch from my little tv at home, and then i'll see you fight, and then i'll cheer you on" The man said, trying not to laugh.

"You will. Anyways, what town is this?... I just arrived" Kasumi explained.

"We're in Tokyo. Unfortunately for you, the Dead or Alive Tournament is in America..."

"No problem. Just tell me which state, and i'll be there"

"Okay. It's in Washington DC. You just have to look for the DOATEC building, and then you're there" The man explained.

"How do I know I can trust you?..." Kasumi asked, now suspicious.

"You don't. You've just got to follow your instincts"

"... Okay. I guess I better go to Washington DC and enroll for the tournament"

"I think you're taking this joke a little to far..." The man said.

"Goodbye" Kasumi said, walking away from the crowd. She had enough of the man already.

"I'll see you on tv!" The man shouted in an amused tone.

When Kasumi was at least a couple of meters away from the crowd, she checked her surroundings to see if she was correct. After looking left to right a couple hundred of times, she knew that she was finally alone. But then again, Kasumi decided to think a little more into this...

*Lets see... Raidou arrived at my village to gain more power. But what if he was at the tournament? Would he try and steal more energy from the fighters competing?... After all, only the greatest fighters all over the world are enrolling. And the Dead or Alive Tournament being announced in the middle of nowhere seems quite suspicious... I think i'm now convinced to compete* Kasumi thought, just before teleporting to her new destination.

Since Kasumi arrived in Washington DC in the blink of an eye, she could now see that compared to Japan, it was very civilized. It was also quite small for the capitol state of America. But other than that, Kasumi couldn't really see the DOATEC building anywhere. She sighed out of frustration. She had been tricked by that man she was conversing with earlier.

Just to make sure, Kasumi walked over to a group of women who were seated outside some sort of coffee shop. But when she approached the women, they looked at her in disgust. They were obviously high class.

"Um, hello. Would you know where the DOATEC building is?" Kasumi asked politely.

"First of all, what on earth are you wearing?" The woman asked in shock as she saw Kasumi's clothing.

And thats when Kasumi realized that she was still in her kunoichi uniform. By looking at the four women in front of her, they were dressed in less revealing outfits, compared to her. They also wore clothing that consisted the colours of pink, white, and black. Other than the clothes, they looked at least in their late 20's. Three of the women had light blond hair, while the fourth was a brunette. But in the end, their faces were covered with coats of heavy make up.

Kasumi then took a deep breath and prepared herself to talk. She remembered to not let too much information out.

"Um, I-"

"You look like you just came from a stripper joint" The brunette said, cutting in.

"E-Excuse me?..."

"Where on earth is your mother?" Another blond asked.

"She's at... the DOATEC building. Thats why I need to find it. Any ideas?" Kasumi asked.

"Well if you must know, the DOATEC building is a few streets down... You go right from here, then take another right, and then left at the nearest traffic lights. Then you'll see the DOATEC building" The fourth lady sneered.

"Thank you very much!" Kasumi said, bowing her head in respect.

Even though the four women were slightly rude, they had helped her out by a lot. While running away to get to her destination, she could hear the same four women talking in the background.

"What must her parents think of her appearance?" The first blonde said.

"She looks like the type my husband would sleep with if he were cheating on me" The second blond commented.

"She's actually not that pretty..." The brunette said.

"I honestly don't see her finding a decent husband. After all, she might end up in the gutters..." The last blond said, before they all started to laugh.

Kasumi, hearing all those comments, rolled her eyes in disgust. She knew that people could be mean at times. But now wasn't the time to be rude and fight back. She had other things to do, even though those comments got to her a little.

After following the directions that those... haughty women gave to her, she finally came across the DOATEC building. Actually, in Kasumi's perspective, the building seemed to stand out, compared to the others. The buildings around DOATEC were all white. However, DOATEC was a black building. It was also taller that the other buildings, and had very dark tinted windows. But the one thing that gave the building away, was the large DOATEC sign, coloured in red. Without any ado, Kasumi stepped inside, preparing for what was in stock in the near future.

The inside of DOATEC wasn't half bad. It was actually quite magnificent. A lot of technology could be seen, and this was only the first floor! Other than that, she saw a line that consisted of six other people.

*They must be enrolling as well...* Kasumi thought as she walked over to the end of the line.

As soon as Kasumi was standing behind everyone else, she noticed that these people were possibly from all over the world. While waiting for her turn to enroll, the man standing in front of Kasumi had turned around, only to see who was standing behind him. By the look on his face, the man seemed pleased with what he was seeing. If only Kasumi could see the looks on the faces of those women she had met earlier...

Under those black tinted sunglasses, were dark chocolate coloured skin. The man was bald and had a green soul-patch. Kasumi wasn't really sure about the colour of his eyes, though... He was wearing a simple white singlet with black shorts. And by the look of the smile on his face, he seemed to be the flirty type.

"Damn girl, you are fiiiiiiine!" The man said, extending the end of his sentence.

"T-Thank you?..." Kasumi said. She wasn't really sure to take it as a compliment or not.

"Don't be scared girl, I'll protect you from all the bad guys" The man added.

Kasumi wasn't really sure if he was winking or not, because the sunglasses were covering his eyes. But his smile was slowly growing wider.

"Leave the poor girl alone!" Said a woman that was in front of the flirty man.

The man then turned away from Kasumi so that he could look at the woman that was in front of him.

"My, my... Tina Armstrong. I never knew you wanted me so badly. Sadly, we just met! But if you want, I can let that slide, so we can get to know each other a little more. How about dinner?" The man asked in a flirty tone.

"In your dreams..." The girl named Tina said, rolling her eyes.

"No, baby... In your dreams" The man corrected.

"Ignore the scary pedophile. My name's Tina Armstrong" Tina said, extending a hand out to Kasumi.

"I'm Kasumi" She said while shaking Tina's hand.

"Damn, thats a sexy name!" The man said, now adding himself into the conversation.

"And I have no clue on who the hell this guy is..." Tina added, referring to the man with the sunglasses.

"My bad. The name's Zack!" He said, flashing a smile.

"But how did you know who Tina was?" Kasumi asked Zack.

"Excuse me?" Tina asked, looking offended.

"I mean... How did he know your name before you introduced yourself?" Kasumi asked.

"Don't you know who I am?... Everybody knows me!" Tina added, starting to get a little hot-headed.

"I'm sorry. I have no clue on who you were until now" Kasumi said.

Zack now let out a loud whistle. That could only mean one thing... Tension.

"Well, i'm a famous pro-wrestler. My Daddy's also a pro-wrestler. He taught me throughout my high school years, and look where I am now! Um, what country are you from again?..." Tina asked.

"Japan"

"Oh, I see... Yeah, they probably haven't heard of me yet..." Tina said.

"Probably" Kasumi commented.

"Besides all the naming and the countries, who do you think are going to be the first hookup of the tournament?" Zack asked.

"Is that all you think of?" Tina asked.

"Depends" Zack said, leaning over to kiss Tina.

"You're disgusting!" Tina said, trying to push Zack off her.

"Um, is this the enrollment line for the Dead or Alive Tournament?" A man asked.

Kasumi, Zack and Tina all looked over to a man who was now behind Kasumi. By the looks of it, he was most likely Chinese. His face seemed hard, showing no emotion. And by the clothes he was wearing, he seemed cool and collected.

"Yeah" Zack said.

For once, Zack actually spoke without sounding flirty. Of course, this was because he was now conversing with another man.

"Hey stud. I'm Tina!" Tina said, adding a wink. She was now starting to look like a female Zack.

"Hi, whoever you just said you were..." The man said, looking away from Tina.

"How come you don't know who I am?... Hmm, maybe your country hasn't heard of me either..." Tina said, thinking hard about the subject.

"Anyways man, whats your name?" Zack asked.

"I'm Jann Lee" He said with no emotion, whatsoever.

"Well i'm Zack, and i'm going to win this tournament"

"Pfft, you?... I bet a monkey can beat you!" Tina said, trying not to laugh.

"You know you want me"

"Please, stop with the jokes. You've already made a fool out of yourself" Tina said.

"Whatever. But when I win that million, you're gonna want me bad!" Zack said.

"I'd rather be poor" Tina said.

"No you wouldn't"

"Yes, I would!"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes!"

"You want me" Zack said, changing the subject.

"You wish, guinea pig!" Tina shouted.

While the two got deeper into their fight, Kasumi and Jann Lee just stared at the two in disbelief. They hardly knew each other, and they were already in each others throats. Well, Tina was... Zack was just arguing for the fun of it.

"You watch me win that money cause I will kick your ass!" Tina shouted.

As everybody else in the line started to stare at Tina and Zack, Kasumi finally just came to a realization.

"Wait a second!... Theres a prize?" Kasumi asked.

"Yeah. Thats why most of these people are here" Jann Lee explained.

Kasumi looked over to everyone else that was in front of her. She couldn't tell who they were, because the back of their heads were facing them. But Kasumi knew that the person in the front of the line was a female. She was currently enrolling herself. Now that Kasumi thought about it, there were more guys than girls.

"How much do we win?" Kasumi asked.

"A million big ones" Jann Lee answered.

"I see... I guess a million dollars can make you do anything..." Kasumi said to herself.

"Not me. I'm here for a different reason!"

"Same here"

"By the way, whats your name? You never said so before" Jann Lee asked.

"Oh, i'm so sorry about that! I'm Kasumi" She said as she bowed apologetically.

"It's fine. I'm Jann Lee"

"So why are you here?" Kasumi asked.

"I'm here to prove myself that i'm the strongest man on the entire earth"

"I see. Good luck with that"

"Thanks. Why are you here?" Jann Lee asked.

"I'm here to avenge my brother"

"Why? Is he dead or something?" Jann Lee asked, almost bored of the conversation.

Jann Lee's comment made Kasumi want to run back to her village and cry in her Mother's arms. Now holding back her tears, Jann Lee had noticed that he may have gone a little too far.

"Did I make you upset?... Sorry, I didn't mean to. I just seem mean at times, and people take it the wrong way" Jann Lee explained, scratching the back of his head.

"It's fine. I guess you just reminded me of whats in the past" Kasumi said.

As Kasumi turned back to Zack and Tina, she could see that they were still fighting. Kasumi responded to them by giving out a small giggle. Kasumi looked over to Jann Lee who was rolling his eyes, trying to hold his patience. Something told Kasumi that he was going to crack soon.

It was about three hours later when it was finally Zack's turn to enroll. That mean that only Kasumi and Jann Lee were now waiting behind him. And since nobody else had entered inside the building after Jann Lee, that mean that there were only eight competitors for the Dead or Alive Tournament. Unless a whole crowd of people enrolled before Kasumi arrived.

Everybody else that was in front of Zack had been sent off to another room. They were probably waiting for everybody else to finish enrolling. Either that, or they were busy getting to know each other.

"So... When did he die?" A voice asked, making Kasumi snap out of her thoughts.

She turned around to see Jann Lee.

"Last night" Kasumi answered sadly.

"Oh. I'm sorry for the loss..." Jann Lee said.

"Thank you. And I already know who the culprit is. Thats why i'm here"

"Why don't you just get the cops to arrest the dude?" Jann Lee asked.

"Because my clan have their own law"

"Huh?..."

"Never mind" Kasumi said.

"So, whats this guy's name?" Jann Lee asked.

"Raidou"

"Hmm. I'll let you know if I ever run into the guy. Then you can do your 'avenging'"

"Thank you. But i'm not even sure if he's competing..."

"Then why did you come here?" Jann Lee asked.

"Because this competition has come so sudden. I've decided to seek out the truth" Kasumi explained.

"Whatever floats your boat"

Kasumi then looked over to Zack who was now walking to the other room. This meant that it was now Kasumi's turn to enroll.

"Next!" The woman called.

Speaking of the woman at the desk, she seemed to be middle-aged. She slightly wore any make up, only having a couple of light strokes of eye liner. Thick rimmed glasses covered her eyes, and her blond hair was tied tightly into a bun. Overall, she seemed like a tough person to befriend. Just like Ayane.

"Hurry up. I don't have all day!" The woman said sternly.

But Kasumi just stood still, looking at the desk.

Was this a mistake? Should she have just stayed back at her own village and wait for her brother to recover? Was Raidou even here? Well if he wasn't, then that meant that Kasumi waited in line for nothing. Kasumi then looked back to the woman, then over to Jann Lee, and then turned around to exit the building.

"Where are you going?" Jann Lee asked.

"Home"

"Are you really going to miss out on the tournament?"

"..."

"After what that man did to your brother?" Jann Lee called out, making Kasumi stop in her tracks and turn around again.

"Hello. I'd like to enroll for this tournament" Kasumi smiled, now convinced to stay.

"About time you made up your mind..." The woman muttered.

"My apologies" Kasumi said, then preceding to bow in respect.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm afraid you're at the wrong place. This isn't a salon" The woman said sternly.

"I'm here to fight..." Kasumi said.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. And i'd like to enroll"

"Hmph, okay then. First of all, whats your name?" The woman asked.

"Um, first, last, or both?" Kasumi asked.

Kasumi could tell that she was getting on the woman's last nerve. Speaking of names, Kasumi took a glimpse of the badge on the woman's shirt. It said 'Amber'.

"I hate my job... It can be whatever you like" Amber said.

"Well, my name is Kasumi"

"Excellent. You've just answered question one. You have at least another twelve to go..." Amber said, typing down Kasumi's name on her laptop at the same time.

Amber's tone told Kasumi that she wasn't bothered for this. Kasumi decided to ignore Amber, and continue on with the questions. After all, she had already come this far.

"How old are you?" Amber asked.

"Is there a specific age that you need to be for this tournament?" Kasumi asked, now worried that she might not be accepted.

"Please... Just tell me your fricken age!" Amber said, rubbing her temples.

"Sorry. I'm seventeen" Kasumi answered.

"Okay. Now what is your occupation?"

"I-"

"And before you ask another question of your own... An occupation is what you do for a living" Amber explained.

"I already know what an occupation is. And I guess you can say that i'm now a runaway shinobi..." Kasumi said sadly.

"..."

"..."

"I'm sorry... What?" Amber asked, trying not to laugh.

"A runaway shinobi"

"Okay. I'll write down that alien word of yours... How do you spell it?"

"S-H-I-N-O-B-I" Kasumi said slowly.

"Okay then, miss 'Runaway Shinobi'... What nationality are you?" Amber asked.

"Japanese"

"Okay. Now what gender are you?"

"Excuse me?" Kasumi asked, taking that question as an insult.

"What... gender... are... you...?" Amber asked in a slower pace.

"I'm 100% female, thank you very much!"

"Sorry. We just have to know if your an 'other' or anything else..."

"I see... Have there been any 'other's' yet?" Kasumi asked.

"Fortunately for me, no. It would be pretty awkward if anyone said that they were..." Amber explained as she shuddered.

"I guess I would feel pretty awkward as well..." Kasumi commented.

"Anyway... Whats your birthday?"

"February 23rd"

"And your blood type?"

"A"

"And your height?" Amber asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's 158cm..."

"Who cares. I'm not bothered measuring you..." Amber said as she continued to type.

"..."

"And how much do you weigh?" Amber asked.

"Last time I checked... I think I was 48 kilos"

"Shit! You're skinny!" Amber shouted.

Kasumi, now red with embarrassment, looked behind her to see Jann Lee who nodded silently in agreement.

"T-Thank you..." Kasumi said.

"Sorry for the sudden language. I just wish I could be that skinny" Amber said, now standing up.

Kasumi could now see Amber's full figure, and she actually looked quite smaller when she was seated at her desk. She was a lot bigger than Kasumi would have expected her to be.

"WOAH! You're huge!" Jann Lee blurted out.

After realizing what he had just shouted out, Jann Lee covered his mouth. Kasumi stood in shock, mouth wide opened after hearing what Jann Lee had said.

"Gee, thanks..." Amber said as she glared at him.

"..."

"Okay, lets continue with this..." Amber said as she sat back down.

"..."

"What is your favourite food?"

"My favourite food?... I thought this was a fighting tournament" Kasumi said.

"Trust me. I'm not the one who writes the questions... I'm just here to ask them"

"Well, it's definitely strawberry millefieulle"

"And last of all- thank god- what is your favourite colour?"

"Milky pink"

"Okay. And... we... are... done!" Amber said happily while typing.

"What do I do now?" Kasumi asked.

"Take the map. Blah blah blah... And find the main room. Good bye" Amber said, while shoving the map onto Kasumi's face.

"Ugh... Next..." Amber said in disgust as she looked over to Jann Lee.

Kasumi, who was now holding her own map, was more lost than ever. She had walked into at least 3 different rooms, with having exactly no luck. She stopped her tracks so that she could study the map. It looked as though there were at least 50 rooms in the one building. She especially felt stupid when she realized that she was holding the map upside down...

When Kasumi viewed the map properly, she walked in the correct direction, and saw another door. Hoping that it was the right one, she placed her hand on the knob and twisted it. Walking inside the room, Kasumi realized that it looked like some sort of cafeteria, or lunch meeting area. It was probably going to be the place where you get to catch up with the other contestants or staff. One of the surprises that she came across was that, this was in fact, the wrong room. The second surprise, however, was that she was now standing in front of one of the people she was least expecting to see.

"What are you doing here?"

**I spent my whole staff development day on this chapter, and oh boy... it wasn't easy. And yeah... I guess that is kind of a cliff hanger... But I dare you to guess who that was at the end of the chapter. Care to review to guess? We'll see if you're right in the next chapter. Laters for now! xxxx**


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